Varanasi: Lusty slogans resonated through the narrow lanes and flag-waving supporters cheered heartily as top leaders of major contenders for power in Uttar Pradesh descended on this ancient temple town in a last gasp effort to swing the voters in their favour.
Leading the virtual parade of the top guns was Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who turned his visit to the famous Kashi Vishwanath and Kal Bhairav temples into an impromptu roadshow, a day ahead of the one planned for Sunday.
Before beginning the roadshow through the winding streets of the city, Modi also paid floral tributes at the statue of Hindutva ideologue Madan Mohan Malviya at the Banaras Hindu University, in moves loaded with symbolism in a campaign which saw Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) revive the divisive talk of Ram temple and the PM seemed appealing to religious sensibilities by his ‘graveyard and crematorium’ remark.
Modi’s roadshow came on a day when the sixth phase of polling in 49 constituencies, including Gorakhpur and Azamgarh in the state was underway. BJP leaders feel that the hours-long event, broadcast live on most of the regional TV news channels, will help their cause when the 40 remaining seats go to the polls in the final phase on 8 March. Slogans like ‘Subah Banaras, sham Banaras; Modi tere naam Banaras’ and ‘Modi, Modi’ greeted Modi as he waved from an open top vehicle covered with marigold.
The only other time Modi held a roadshow here was in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls after he picked Varanasi as one of his seats. The BJP swept the 2014 polls in Uttar Pradesh, winning 73 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats, along with its ally Apna Dal. Down in the dumps in the politically crucial cow belt state for the last 15 years before its spectacular performance in the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP, which has not declared its chief ministerial candidate for UP, is banking on the personal charisma of Modi to catapult the party back to power again.
Samajwadi Party president and chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, who is seeking a second successive term in office after stitching an alliance with Congress, in wilderness in the state for a long time, also led a roadshow with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi through the city, but not before he had paid a visit to the ‘Kashi Vishwanath’ temple of Lord Shiva, the presiding deity of Varanasi.
Amid chanting of ‘shlokas’, Akhilesh, sporting the red Samajwadi Party cap, was seen kneeling at the temple and seeking the blessings of the priests.
